TAFF Announces Its First Guests

The third edition of Turku Animated Film Festival takes place from August 29 to September 2, 2018. The festival’s Finnish guests include Antonia Ringbom, Pasi “Sleeping” Myllymäki and Malakias.

Having worked with animation for over four decades, Antonia Ringbom can be called the Grand Old Lady of Finnish animation. Her colourful films often discuss the themes of environmentalism, cultural diversity and children’s rights. Ringbom’s latest works include Mindscapes, a series of animated documentaries based on stories by people with mental disorders. TAFF presents two screenings of Ringbom’s work: one aimed at kids and one curated for grown-ups.

Pasi “Sleeping” Myllymäki is a filmmaker known for his alternative short films bursting with punk aesthetics and DIY spirit. Before giving up his film career, Myllymäki made dozens of experimental super 8 films with elements from graphic design to performance art. His techniques include, for instance, shooting and scratching film. Myllymäki’s films were presented in the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2017.

With nearly 20 unconventional animated shorts in his pocket, Malakias is one of the most productive independent directors of the Finnish short film scene. His works often come with living dead, (mostly) symphatetic primates and lost innocence. A passionate craftsman, he turns modeling clay, drawings, super 8 film, found footage, clippings and stories of old porn cassettes into animated shorts. Malakias is also a freelance illustrator and the graphic designer of TAFF.

Building a Vibrant Animation Culture

Each year, TAFF presents screenings curated by other film festivals and institutions that promote animated film culture. Video Art Festival Turku, VAFT, is an annual festival that brings video art to unexpected places and contexts outside of the white cubes of museums and galleries. TAFF and VAFT’s collaboration has brought about screenings that balance on the boundaries of video art and animation. Taking place this week, VAFT’s programme also includes a screening curated by TAFF.

Finnish Animation Guild, founded in 1998, is an association for animation professionals in Finland. Its jubilee screening collects a cross-section of short animations made by its members during the 20-year history of the association. The craziest animated shorts made in Turku Arts Academy and its predecessor TUTVO are available in a screening that spans from the 90’s until today. Animatricks, the oldest animation film festival in Finland, presents a bunch of Finnish films awarded at the festival during its 18 years.

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Psst! Short animation screenings curated by TAFF are shown at festivals and events around the year both in Finland and internationally. The next TAFF screenings are available at Leffakerho, Bar Ö, Turku, on Tuesday May 22, at Turku Medieval Market in June, and at Savonlinna International Nature Film Festival in August.